Resort and Tour News: Cuba Trips; Adventure Lodge in Peru

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The Gateway Canyons Resort & Spa in Colorado.

By Elaine Glusac

Dec. 18, 2015

IN COLORADO, ‘STAR WARS’—AND STARS IN THE SKY

The latest “Star Wars” installment has inspired airplane designs, theme park rides and now a new package from Gateway Canyons Resort & Spa in western Colorado that’s a little bit Hollywood, a little bit celestial. Called Gateway to the Galaxy, the bundle includes overnight accommodations in a casita for up to four people with an in-room telescope and constellation chart. The resort will provide V.I.P.-style helicopter transportation to Grand Junction and tickets to the movie, with a return by car. Rates start at $1,850 a night, and the package is available through Jan. 15, with a two-night minimum stay.

A GASTRONOMIC HONOR FOR TUCSON

The Creative Cities program run by Unesco, the United Nations’ cultural agency, has named Tucson, Ariz., as its latest City of Gastronomy. Nine other newly deemed food cities named last week include Belém, Brazil; Bergen, Norway; Burgos and Denia in Spain; Ensenada, Mexico; Gaziantep, Turkey; Parma, Italy; Phuket, Thailand; and Rasht, Iran. Tucson is home to Mission Garden, growing heritage plants that tell the culinary history of southern Arizona, which dates back more than 4,000 years; the heirloom seed conservation center Native Seeds/Search; and annual festivals devoted to agave spirits and tamales.

SCOTLAND TRIPS BOTH GUIDED AND INDEPENDENT

The adventure travel company Wilderness Scotland will introduce a new series of self-driven trips in 2016 that allow for both independent travel and the expertise of private guides on excursions. Called Discovery Journeys, the four new itineraries divide six or seven days between independent travel and guided adventures. Destinations include the Isle of Skye and the northwest Highlands, with canoeing, cycling, sea kayaking and hiking, plus two nights at Inverlochy Castle, a 19th-century castle-turned hotel (from £2,275, or $3,317, including breakfast and three days guided). Other trips include Edinburgh and the Highlands’ Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park; the Small Isles off the west coast of Scotland; and the new tourism route known as the North Coast 500, a 500-mile loop in the far north. Most trips are six nights and start at £1,225 ($1,786) a person.

A CHAMPAGNE POP-UP IN PARK CITY

Rugged meets refined in the new yurt-based bar at the Montage Deer Valley resort in Park City, Utah, specializing in Veuve Clicquot Champagne. The Clicquot Yurt, as it is known, will open Saturday, Dec. 19, and pop corks daily throughout ski season from noon to 5 p.m. The 34-seat bar, which is open to the public and warmed by an indoor fireplace, will pour Champagne by the glass for $38 and offer the entire bottle for $159. Caviar, cheeses, charcuterie and smoked fish accompany the bubbles on the menu.

IN PERU, A NEW ADVENTURE LODGE

The South American travel operator Explora, which runs luxury adventure lodges in Chile’s Patagonia, Atacama Desert and Easter Island, has announced a new property in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, its first in Peru. The 50-room lodge, Explora Valle Sagrado will be located at 9,500 feet on terraced cornfields and serve as a base for excursions on foot and bike or via van. The resort won’t open until July 1, but management is offering two-for-one deals at $2,160 for a three-night stay for two if booked before Feb. 29, 2016. Rates include guided excursions, meals, open bar and transfers.

NEW TRIPS TO CUBA

Among a slew of new trips to Cuba, the culinary-focused tour operator Access Trips plans to introduce a six-day foodie tour of Havana beginning next June. Highlights include dining at a home-based restaurant known as a paladar, visiting an organic farm, learning to cook Cuban dishes, and taking a daiquiri class at the famed bar El Floridita. Trips start at $3,190 a person.

Born in Cuba, the Miami-based entrepreneur Sonia Laguna recently launched Just 90 Miles, offering a signature six-day tour to Havana and Viñales that focuses on food, music, art, rum, cigars and classic cars. Limited to 10 guests, the trip costs $3,195 a person, including round-trip flights from Miami to Havana.

Smartours will add a trip to Cuba beginning in January that focuses on Havana and Varadero. With 10 departures in 2016, the eight-day trip splits its island time between the capital and the beach destination with people-to-people visits with artists and musicians. Trips start at $2,499 a person, including round-trip flights from Miami to Havana.

IN VERMONT, A DEAL FOR BEGINNING SKIERS

Ski Vermont is reducing at least one barrier to skiing — the expense — by offering a learn-to-ski package for beginner skiers and snowboarders. During the month of January the package costs $49, which includes a lift ticket, rentals and a lesson. The Take 3 pass extends the deal to three days at $129.